Tonopah festivities celebrating Jim Butler’s history
If readers have never taken a trip to see the town of Tonopah, there’s no better time than the present to check out all they’ve been missing, with the 54th Annual Jim Butler Days and Nevada State Mining Championships turning this rural frontier community into a hive of activity all this week.
Jim Butler Days opened on Sunday, May 18 with a pageant to determine who will reign as king and queen of the festivities and continued Monday, May 19 with a talent show. Tuesday, May 20 set the spotlight on the youngsters of the area at the kindergarten promotion ceremony and middle schoolers had their turn for promotion today at 6 p.m. But that doesn’t mean there isn’t a whole lot more in store for tourists as the week progresses.
Tomorrow, Thursday, May 22 marks the Tonopah High School Graduation, followed by Jim Butler Days Kick-off Karaoke at Tonopah Liquor Company.
Friday is when the major activities will start, beginning at 9 a.m. and running on into the night. There will be an assortment of vendors in the Union Plaza, as well as live music from noon until the last set takes to the stage at 8:30 p.m. The day will include whiskey tasting at Tonopah Liquor Company, along with a frozen T-shirt contest, stein holding contest and bartender’s race at the Union Plaza. Attendees can even meet author Jackie Boor on Friday at the Central Nevada Museum for a book signing event.
Saturday, May 24 is likely to be the busiest for Jim Butler Days, starting with a pancake breakfast and Build-Your-Own Bloody Mary Bar at the Elks Lodge from 7 to 9:30 a.m., the always-popular parade down Main Street at 10 a.m. and the Nevada State Mining Championships at noon.
Boor will be back for another book signing on Saturday, this time inside the Mizpah Hotel lobby, and there will be wine tasting, craft beer tasting, whiskey tasting, gold panning, blacksmith demonstrations, a large craft fair, sanctioned horseshoes tournament, live music and the opening of the Tonopah Speedway that evening.
On Sunday, May 25, the fun starts all over again with a second Muckers Pancake Breakfast and the youth and junior mining events at the Elks Lodge. Boor will be at the Tonopah Historic Mining Park for a third book signing, another horseshoe tournament is slated, there will be more live musical entertainment and the Jim Butler Stampede Rodeo will take over the Tonopah Fairgrounds and Arena.
Everyone will be able to peruse the intriguing artifacts and exhibits at the Tonopah Historic Mining Park, which is offering free admission every day throughout the weekend, too.
Capping off the celebration, on Memorial Day, the Veterans of Foreign Wars will hold a ceremony at the Tonopah Cemetery at 10 a.m. and another at Goldfield Cemetery at noon. At 1 p.m., the public is also invited to the Tonopah Army Air Field Airmen’s Memorial Wall for the last service of the day, with lunch to follow.
For more information on the celebration visit JimButlerDays.com
Contact reporter Robin Hebrock at rhebrock@pvtimes.com
Who was Jim Butler?
Tonopah is steeped in history and a key part of that history is attached to the name of Jim Butler, a prospector in the late 1800s and early 1900s whose discovery of silver in the area is credited with the boom that led to the initial growth of the town.
"Legend has it that Jim Butler was camping around Tonopah Spring in May 1900 when his burro wandered off. While chasing it, Jim picked up a rock to throw at it and discovered some promising-looking ore," the Jim Butler Days website explains. "He continued on his journey to Southern Klondike in Esmeralda County and when he got there, he showed samples to others, who showed little interest. After returning to his ranch in Monitor Valley near Belmont, Butler told a young attorney named Tasker Oddie, who has just been elected Nye County District Attorney, about his discovery.
"Tasker has a friend, Walter Gayhart, who taught chemistry in Austin and he enlisted the teacher's help in assaying the sample. The ore valued at more than $200 a ton and the rush was on!" the background information continues. "History tells us that the mines in this district produced in excess of five million tons of ore. At today's market, the precious metals would be valued in excess of $1,200,000,000."
Today, Butler's legacy lives on in the form of Jim Butler Days, the largest event in Tonopah and one that attracts visitors from all over the country each year.
